OTTAWA—Veteran Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn had a tequila tantrum at Ottawa International Airport last month when security staff seized his bottle of booze because it exceeded the liquid limit rules for carry-on items.

“I was at the Ottawa airport and a bottle of alcohol was confiscated from me because it exceeded the 100 mL limit … I was definitely upset at what happened, and I apologize to those I could have offended,” Blackburn stated in a brief apology.

He is the second federal cabinet minister in a month to have an airport meltdown, causing further embarrassment for the security conscious Conservative government.

The incident is said to have occurred Feb. 23, just days after junior cabinet minister Helena Guergis had a now well-publicized “hissy-fit” at the Charlottetown airport where she yelled at airport workers and whined about being “stuck in this hell hole.”

“These two episodes now demonstrate an arrogance amongst these ministers that is simply unacceptable,” Liberal MP David McGuinty (Ottawa South) told reporters.

Transport Minister John Baird told the Commons that Blackburn apologized and suggested that should be the end of it.

According to reports, Blackburn, who was returning from a Mexico vacation, took a loud exception to the fact his tequila was being seized because it exceeded the 100 mL of liquid that can be taken on-board.

When the Ottawa airport security staff offered to hold the booze for him until he returned from Montreal, CTV has reported that he demanded to see it poured out, which critics say was a direct implication that the minister believed they were going to drink it themselves.

“Since I had to leave the bottle behind, I asked that it be destroyed. At no point did I request preferential treatment; it’s not in my nature,” Blackburn said in his statement.

Blackburn was said to be making such a scene that security staff were close to calling police to intervene. Only then did the minister calm down.

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